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Zip gun found after Texas high school evacuated

The Associated Press

Posted:
01/13/2014 12:54:33 PM CST

Updated:
01/13/2014 06:42:01 PM CST

KATY, Texas—A zip gun was found at a Houston-area high school Monday, and a student was taken into custody after the building was evacuated and a bomb squad was dispatched, school district officials said.

The Katy school district said on its website that Seven Lakes High School was evacuated Monday morning after a "perceived threat" was identified. The Harris County sheriff's office bomb squad was dispatched after a "potential explosive device" was found.

By late afternoon, the district said one device, the zip gun, was found. The district described a zip gun as "any device altered to propel an object designed to cause harm."

Students were evacuated to an enclosed area on the baseball and football fields. They were later released for the day and after-school activities were canceled.

The district about 20 miles west of Houston said the device was secured and the building cleared. Students will return to class on Tuesday.

No other details were immediately available.

A heavy law enforcement presence could be seen Monday at the front of the high school, which opened in 2005 and has about 4,000 students. Members of the bomb squad entered the school wearing thick protective gear and carrying an assortment of equipment.